Category Archives: Sunday Morning Musings

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652. The number 652 is a special number. A number that represents baseball history. A number that will probably never be surpassed. 652 is the number of times Yankees closer Mariano Rivera saved a game. His career has come to an end. As a fan of baseball and the Yankees, I can only say thanks Mo.

I grew up watching the “Core Four;” Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Derek Jeter. To see these players retire is bittersweet. I finally understand how previous generations felt when the baseball stars of their childhood called it quits. Yes, we still have Jeter, but the Yankees are not, and won’t be the same.

Mariano Rivera (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rivera is a true great of the game. The farewell ceremonies, gifts from other teams and most importantly, the respect from baseball fans around the country are a true testament. Baseball fans are hard-pressed to find a current star, in any sport, that matches Rivera’s professionalism and class.

If my son were to have a sports role model, or “hero,” I would hope it would be Rivera.

In five years, I hope to be in Cooperstown celebrating the induction of Mariano Rivera. I’ll bring my son of course and tell him about watching all the championships and the coolness which Rivera went about his work.

Enjoy retirement Mo.

I hope you enjoyed this post. All comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged!

Sunday’s are interesting days. Sometimes they are filled with relaxation and football. Some of us worship in our respective ways. Others spend the day with family around a table eating. Still others need the time to mow the lawn and do all the things they didn’t get to during the week.

I started thinking about what I do on Sundays. Sometimes I end up doing basically what I don’t want to be doing. So what are five things I think most dad’s ideal Sunday would be:

Watching football, baseball or golf.

Eating.

Not doing yard work.

Sleeping past 7 am.

Checking the football schedule for next Sunday.

The items above make a great plan. Below are the five things that will actually happen today:

The new NFL logo went into use at the 2008 draft. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m a baseball fan. But I’m also a football fan. College Football or the NFL, it doesn’t matter. On any given Saturday, the sounds of a college game can be heard in my house. On Sunday, we plan around the New York Football Giants. In fact, I’m looking forward to 4:25 Eastern today.

Watching football is a tradition in my house. Last year, our little guy wasn’t into the television. He was just discovering he had hands. But this year, it’s a little different. When he sees the game, he fixates on the movement and the sounds.

This is great for me, because I now have an excuse to watch football. Sorry mommy.

My hope, as Little A grows older, is for us to watch football together. I’m not sure if I want the little one to actually play football. The concerns surrounding concussions and other potential injuries weighs on me. At the very least, I hope we enjoy watching games.

This football season I hope to start the tradition. Something father and son can share and remember as he gets older. Unless of course he likes the Jets.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged!

Star Wars is one of my all-time favorite movies. Actually, the trilogy is phenomenal. Aside from the Light Sabres, Death Star, and Chewbacca, Star Wars teaches two good lessons in parenting.

A Sibling Rivalry? Not So Much

The first lesson is to never underestimate the power of siblings. Luke and Lea ultimately discovered their familial link with a little help from the Force. If my wife and I have a second child, we will be aware of the possibility of the children joining forces against us. Especially if they want a dog.

The classic line symbolizes more than Vader’s attempt to sway Skywalker to the Dark Side. The Sith Lord‘s admission is an expression of love for his son. Vader you old softy. If we think about what happens in the story, Vader becomes the undoing of the Emperor to save Luke.

This is our second lesson: that is what dad’s do, we protect our kids. Father’s take note, just because you may possess the ability to use the Force to your advantage, your kids are your kids.

These are simple and obvious lessons, but for me, that is the beauty of the Star Wars story. Regardless of time and space, and galaxies, family is family. No Death Star can put a stop to that.

Thank you for reading. Comments and feedback are always welcome and encouraged.

In my last post, Life In the Inflatable Family pool, my wife and I learned life is different now that we are older. After Little A didn’t want anything to do with the pool, it was time to deflate and pack away for this year.

It is with sadness I report in the end, the pool ended up in the garbage.

Inflatable pools are filled with air, not water. What do I mean? As we went to lift the pool to drain the water, we found it harder to move than expected. Somehow, water filled the two bottom inflatable rings. This was only learned after much aggravation, ( and a frustrated daddy Kung-Fu kick to an inflatable ring). Oh, and mommy seeing the water.

If you’ve tried to move the Blob before, you understand our difficulty.

The End

Ultimately, I had to slice the two rings open to expel the water. I was disappointed at the thought of cutting the pool. I’m not sure what it symbolized to me subconsciously. Maybe a failing in my parenting abilities? I digress.

Little A of course, wasn’t phased by the situation. In fact, I think he’s secretly pleased. Mommy was more frustrated at my Bruce Lee impersonation. I’m just glad I can re-grow the grass that started to burn underneath the pool.

In the end, life moves on. So the lesson we learned while sitting in the pool holds true. Enjoy the little moments and be weary of inflatable pools.

I hope you enjoyed this post. As always comments are welcome and encouraged!

Like this:

Parents will tell you, there are things you need to do to get through some days with the little ones. Nutrition is also important regardless of one’s station in life. Various beverages can provide nutritional value. Combining these two needs results in more daddy’s needs for daily survival.

Alcoholic beverages (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So I compiled a list of my top five beverages every dad should have on his menu:

The coffee and water are self-explanatory. Green tea not only tastes good, but is rich with anti-oxidants. From what I read, those are good things. As a man who was 103 told me, the red wine is good for your ticker. Who am I to argue.

A note about the beer: you don’t need to consume daily. This is more a delicacy than necessity best consumed after the little ones go to bed. Also, if you are having a glass of wine, skip the beer.

I’m a baseball fan and a Yankee fan at that. However, I’m truly exhausted by the saga that is Alex Rodriguez. I need not go into more details or rant about my personal thoughts on the subject. Instead, I thought about how this relates to fatherhood and parenting in general.

The answer is rather simple, the entire situation is a great way to explain some important life lessons. So here is a list of the top ten things a parent can teach their kids using Alex Rodriguez:

No matter how far you can hit a fastball, bad behavior will always catch-up to you.

Anyone tells you to stick a needle in any part of you, and their name is not followed by M.D., seriously question what you’re about to do.

Sports are just entertainment. There are significantly more important things in life.

Get over yourself. Each of us has the potential to do great things, but that doesn’t make us better or more important than everyone else.

Don’t lie. Once you lie, you can never stop. See item #1 above.

Be grateful to those who employ you. For their generosity provides for your life.

If you truly don’t like who or what employs you, leave.

The world isn’t always nice, get used to it.

Some days you will wish you could go back to kindergarten, that’s a normal feeling.